Caring for gold wash on Dovo Silver Steel Ebony

I just got my Dovo Ebony from SRD and I love it so far. The razor has gold wash on the spine and on the stamp on the blade. I have the reasonable expectation that the gold will wear over time, and i'm ok with that. But I want to keep it looking good for as long as is reasonably possible.

I've thought about placing a piece of clear tape over the spine while honing/stropping to minimize wear that way. I've also read some about using Renaissance Wax to protect it. For those that have razors with gold spines:

1. With daily use, roughly how long can I expect the wash on the spine to last?
2. Will taping the spine before stropping significantly minimize wear, or is it more trouble than it's worth?
3. What has worked best for you to keep the gold spines in good shape longer?

Since there have been 50+ views but no replies, perhaps there is no good answers for the questions. So here's what I've decided to do:

Before shaving
- Strop with no tape on the spine. If the gold fades over time, so be it.

After shaving
- dry razor on cloth, leave sitting open until completely dry
- clean razor with alcohol on cotton ball
- strop razor 10–15 times
- coat lightly with camellia oil

I'll still try to use a strip of clear tape on the spine when honing to protect the gold, then I'll apply a coat of renwax after honing.

I guess other than the taped spine, that's pretty much the exact same care most of you give your razors. I guess there's not much you can do to keep the gold looking new on a razor that you use every day.

I had the same razor for over a year, and the gold-wash still looked in great shape.

I think you have come to the right conclusions - tape the spine when touching up and use RenWax on the blade.

On top of that, make sure that you never let tarnish form on the blade - I wipe the lather off my razor and hold the blade in hot water to warm it, then wipe it dry and let it air properly before closing the blade - never had a problem that way.

YOu are correct in thinking that there is not much you can do, but you can avoid rubbing the gold-wash as much as possible. It's a lot softer than steel, so it will wear away with rubbing - that's why I never put anything like oil on the blade that has to be rubbed off. Probably doesn't make much - if any difference - in the long run, but it can't hurt!

Regards,
Neil

Thanks for the advice, Neil. I live in a very dry area, so perhaps I will only use the camellia oil when storing the razor for longer periods. As long as I dry it before putting it away, and store it in a dry place with some silica gel packets I shouldn't have any trouble with water spots or tarnish. That way I'll avoid wiping the gold wash as much, like you said.

This is one of those things that I just accept will eventually wear as time and use go on. OTOH, taking care of your stuff is always better than ignoring it and letting the chips fall where they may. The Ren Wax is great stuff and would, I suppose, help a lot. I know with gold plated Gillette DEs the default cleaner is Windex. Plate is. of course, much stronger than gold wash on a straight razor.

My every day razors don"t have gold wash, but awhile back I bought a Dovo Bismark and have used it probally 7 or 8 times, and I can already see the wash thinning in some places. This doesn"t bother me as I bought the razor to use from time to time and thinning is to be expected. I do use Ren Wax on my razors that dont get used often and would think it would help a lot if used regular. Best, wildhog

My experience is, if you tape the spine when honing and ensure no rust or water spotting occurs then you shouldn't need any abrasive materials and the spine is protected so the Gold should last a very long time. The ones I have are still in great shape almost 10 years later. It's mostly the vintage stuff you buy needing TLC where you have the Gold issues.